Piece

What Brewpub and pizzeria

Where Wicker Park

Style New Haven

Top pie Plain

Photo: Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune

Over the past 14 years, Billy Jacobs has made this one of the highest-grossing indie pizzerias in the nation, winning countless awards and adding gimmicks such as live-band karaoke on Saturday nights. Small wonder its misshapen pies—hand-formed and minimally topped as the New Haven style demands, cooked in a gas-fired oven—are as good as ever. Tattooed with tantalizing blackened marks, the chewy-crunchy crust may look flimsy, but it’s burly enough to cradle a layer of irresistible sweet-salty tomato sauce with minced garlic. You’ll be well into your third slice by the time you realize there’s no cheese beyond a sprinkling of Parmesan. Nor should there be. Go on Sunday for a large pie plus a growler of handcrafted beer for $25—or go on a quiet Tuesday for lunch. The pizza is always the same. 1927 W. North Ave., 773-772-4422